Time for another Classics Spin!!! Basically, a random number selected next Monday will determine my next read from my Classics Club list. I participated all four times last year, and ended up really liking, if not loving, all four of the books I was assigned: The Mystery of Mrs. Blencarrow; Lady Chatterley's Lover; Orley Farm; and The Earth.
Since I'm still committed to reading only books from my TBR shelves for the next two months, my choices are getting limited -- I'm more than halfway done with my Classics Club List, so that left me with only 24 books from which to choose. Here's my list:
Five books I keep putting off:
1. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
2. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
3. The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
4. Sylvia's Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell
5. Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson
5. Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson
Five I really want to read:
6. Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather
7. The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West
8. Nana by Emile Zola
9. I, Claudius by Robert Graves
10. Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert
Five I'm neutral about:
11. A Lost Lady by Willa Cather
12. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
13. Liza of Lambeth by W. Somerset Maugham
14. Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton
15. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
Free choice - five Victorians:
16. No Name by Wilkie Collins
17. New Grub Street by George Gissing
16. No Name by Wilkie Collins
17. New Grub Street by George Gissing
18. Rachel Ray by Anthony Trollope
19. Ayala's Angel by Anthony Trollope
20. He Knew He Was Right by Anthony Trollope
19. Ayala's Angel by Anthony Trollope
20. He Knew He Was Right by Anthony Trollope
Can't wait until next Monday to see what number comes up!
I love your list! I haven't posted mine yet, but I know that Mary Barton is definitely on the list.
ReplyDeleteI can't figure out why it's taken me so long to read it, I loved Wives & Daughters and North & South. Hope I get it!
DeleteGood luck, hope you get something you are really excited to read.
ReplyDeleteI'm 4 for 4 so far, so I hope my luck continues. I've liked nearly everything on my Classics Club list so far.
DeleteGood luck on Monday! I love No Name, so I would be hoping for that one, but I also enjoyed Sylvia's Lovers and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little afraid of Sylvia's Lovers because I know some of it is in dialect. However, I've loved Gaskell so far. I've heard good things about No Name but I'm put off by the length. I just finished Miss Marjoribanks which was more than 500 pages so I'm hoping for a shorter read. My last two Spin selections were more than 500 pages also.
DeleteShadows on the Rock is a perfect winter read.
ReplyDeleteI just read Sapphira and the Slave Girl and really enjoyed it, so I'm looking for another excuse to read more Willa Cather. I loved O Pioneers! and My Antonia but I don't think her other works get enough attention.
DeleteI'm looking forward to reading The Hunchback, but Moby Dick would make me nervous. I read New Grub Street last year and enjoyed it. You just can't stay away from Zola, can you? ;-) I just read Son Excellence Eugéne Rougon and, in spite of it being one of the less popular books in the series, I thought it was excellent. I don't think Zola can write a bad novel.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get the book you are hoping for in the Spin!
I'm nervous about both of them! But many people love Moby Dick, so I'm cautiously optimistic. And I can't quit Zola! I've read nearly half of the Rougon Macquarts and the only one I didn't absolutely love was The Kill. And did you know OUP has a new translation of Money coming out in March?
DeleteOh no! The Kill is the next one up for me. I'm reading through the R-M series in Zola's recommended order. I have the Brian Nelson translation, so if it isn't that great, I can at least compare it to the Vizetelly translations that I've been reading so far.
DeleteYes, I did hear about the new translation! It will be one of the few new book purchases I'll make this year.
The Kill was OK, it just wasn't my favorite. I'm so impressed that you're reading them in order -- I will someday. I still haven't read Fortunes of the Rougons. I will probably read Nana next, or maybe La Debacle. And there's a new movie adaptation of Therese Raquin!! It's called In Secret and it looks really good.
DeleteGood luck on Monday! I haven't posted my list yet, but A Lost Lady will be there.
ReplyDeleteI have FOUR unread Willa Cather novels on my TBR shelf!! I'd like to read at least one more this year -- luckily they're fairly short, so it's doable.
DeleteAh, I really need to get around to reading I, Claudius, too. Good luck with your spin pick!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is taking Latin so I have to read I, Claudius so I can talk to her about Roman history and impress her. Ha!
DeleteI must put in recommendation for Moby Dick on audio. I listened to the Frank Muller narration and it was so enthusiastic. I was quite enthralled. And if you zone out during the boring bits, who cares! (yes, so boring bits but the good parts are SO GOOD!)
ReplyDeleteIf I get Moby Dick, I will definitely have to listen to part of it on audio. I find that if I'm scared of a book, the audio really helps. I've listened to Frank Muller and he's very good, I think my library has that version. Thanks for telling me about the good parts, I'm not so scared now.
DeleteI hope you get a gem! I'm not going to participate this time around, but I love seeing what everyone gets.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the Spin!
ReplyDeleteI'm recognizing many titles from your last spin! I need to check out New Grub Street--what a great title.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling inspired to Spin this time too--I'm finishing up a lot of books that I started right after Xmas, so I'm feeling flushed with time!
Hope you get a good number.